The new bivalent boosters against COVID-19 have failed to halt omicron infections. However, new technologies are being developed that pave a way forward.
In a matter of days, eligible people will be lining up to receive the newly formulated booster shot.
filadendron/E+ via Getty Images
The CDC’s endorsement of the reformulated COVID-19 booster shots represents a major step in the effort to get more Americans boosted.
As of August 2022, COVID-19 vaccination rates in Black and Hispanic people exceeded those of white Americans nationally, but only for the initial shots.
FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images
Early on, public health messaging focused on the need for vaccines to combat COVID-19. But far less attention has been given to the role of boosters in preventing deaths and reducing inequities.
Daryl Cheng, Murdoch Children's Research Institute et Margie Danchin, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
It’s natural to have questions about the risks and benefits of COVID vaccines in young children. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Australia’s rollout.
Clinical studies show that mixing and matching booster vaccines can lead to a more robust immune response.
SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images
The FDA’s authorization of COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 4 years will bring relief for millions of parents. Pending CDC endorsement, shots for this group will be available within days.
The COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective against severe illness leading to hospitalization and death in all age groups, including children ages 5 to 11.
Millions of U.S. children ages 5-11 have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought immunology terms that are typically relegated to textbooks into our everyday vernacular. These stories helped us make sense of the ever-evolving science.
South Africans wait for access to a COVID-19 vaccine.
(Shutterstock)
Some of the omicron variant’s unique properties – such as its ability to spread rapidly while causing milder COVID-19 infections – could usher in a new phase of the pandemic.
We’re reliant on overseas supply - and the many moving parts of delivery. Each of those parts require staff on the ground – and many workers in this system are likely being affected by Omicron.
Some vaccines use mRNA to make copies of the triangular red spike proteins to induce immunity.
Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
The new omicron variant of coronavirus has a number of mutations that may require manufacturers to update vaccines. The unique attributes of mRNA vaccines make updating them fast and easy.
The CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine provider agreement prohibits health care professionals from administering the vaccines in people for whom they are not yet authorized or approved. But this departs from longstanding norms.
Pfizer contractor Ventavia denies accusations of scientific misconduct on COVID vaccine trial.
Carter Giglio, 8, joined by service dog Barney of Hero Dogs, shows off the bandage over his injection site after being vaccinated at Children’s National Hospital in Washington.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
An infectious diseases doctor reviews the evidence, discusses hesitancy and concerns about side-effects and explains the overwhelming case for vaccinating five-to-11-year-olds, including his own son.
Ethics are important to vaccination decisions because while science can clarify some of the costs and benefits, it cannot tell us which costs and benefits matter most to us.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
When making the decision whether to vaccinate children aged five to 11 against COVID-19, regulators in Canada must rely on sound ethics as well as sound science.
For many parents, the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine authorization for younger kids can’t come soon enough.
Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images